2026 Big West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics
Format
For the third season in a row, the Big West is using a stepladder bracket. After it didn’t work in 2024, as fourth-seeded Long Beach State won, UC San Diego claimed the crown as the top seed in 2025.
Site
For the fifth consecutive season, the Big West Tournament is set for the Dollar Loan Center, the home arena for the AHL’sHenderson Silver Knights in the Las Vegas suburbs.
Participants
Of the 11 Big West members, only eight will participate. Long Beach State (10-22, 6-14, 9th), UC Riverside (10-22, 5-15, 10th), and
Cal State Bakersfield (8-24, 2-18, 11th) did not qualify.
Schedule
Interactive Bracket
TV/Streaming Info
ESPN+ ($) will stream all games before the second semifinal.
First Round (Wed. 3/11)
Gm. 1: (8) Cal Poly (14-18, 10-10) vs. (5) UC San Diego (22-10, 12-8), 9
Home split: Mustangs 67-65 on 1/1 and Tritons 80-64 on 2/28.
Gm. 2: (7) UC Santa Barbara (18-13, 11-9) vs. (6) UC Davis (18-13, 11-9), 11:30*
The Aggies swept: 93-86 (away) on 1/8 and 85-75 (home) on 2/5.
Quarterfinals (Thurs. 3/12)
Gm. 3: Gm. 1 winner vs. (4) CSUN (19-12, 12-8), 9
Gm. 4: Gm. 2 winner vs. (3) Cal State Fullerton (17-15, 12-8), 11:30*
Semifinals (Fri. 3/13)
Gm. 5: Gm. 3 winner vs. (1) UC Irvine (22-10, 15-5), 9
Gm. 6: Gm. 4 winner vs. (2) Hawai’i (22-8, 14-6), 11:30* (ESPN2)
Championship (Sat. 3/14)
Gm. 7: Semifinal winners, 10 (ESPN2)
Mayhem Potential
Data originally posted by Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitter in 2020 with my own additions for the seasons beyond.
Over the past 14 editions, one of the Big West’s top two seeds has won the automatic bid nine times, with Cal State Fullerton snapping the top seed’s two tournament winning streak in 2022 and Long Beach State taking the crown as a 4 in 2025. Note that only the No. 6 and 8 seeds failed to record a title during the previous period when only the top eight teams qualified, which ended in 2019.
- 1 seed (6): 2012, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025
- 2 seed (3): 2013, 2017, 2022
- 3 seed (1): 2015
- 4 seed (2): 2018, 2024
- 5 seed (1): 2011
- 7 seed (1): 2015
NCAA Seeding Record In The 68-Team Era
Years with an NCAA win are in bold.
- 12 seed (3): 2012, 2021, 2025
- 13 seed (3): 2015, 2016, 2019
- 14 seed (1): 2023
- 15 seed (5): 2011, 2013, 2018, 2022, 2024
- 16 seed (2): 2014 (First Four), 2017 (First Four)
In most cases, if the Big West’s 1 or 2 seed wins the auto bid, it ends up faring better seed-wise than lower-seeded champs. The exceptions: the UC Davis team that ended up in Dayton after winning as a 2 in 2017 and the now-departed Pacific squad that also won as a 2 in 2013.
Last season, UC San Diego ended up on the 12 line and barely missed upsetting Michigan. This year, a 14 is likely the high water mark for the conference, and that’s if UC Irvine or Hawai’i win the auto bid.
Last NCAA Tournament Appearances
UC San Diego: 2025 (12 seed, 1st Round)
UC Santa Barbara: 2023 (14 seed, 1st Round)
Cal State Fullerton: 2022 (15 seed, 1st Round)
UC Irvine: 2019 (13 seed, 2nd Round)
UC Davis: 2017 (16 seed, 1st Round)
Hawai’i: 2016 (13 seed, 2nd Round)
Cal Poly: 2014 (16 seed, Round of 64)
CSUN: 2009 (15 seed, 1st Round)
UC Riverside is the lone previously-eligible Big West member that has yet to make the NCAAs. The Highlanders, along with Long Beach State (2024, 15 seed, 1st Round) and Cal State Bakersfield (2016, 15 seed, 1st Round, WAC member) will need to wait until 2027 at least. At that point, Cal Baptist and Utah Valley will have moved in from the WAC and Sacramento State from the Big Sky, while Hawai’i and UC Davis will both be on their way to the Mountain West.
